Strike up the Band

Yes, I am finally deciding to put own opinions of film scores on a blog format. Most people usually have these wonderful questions that they constantly ask me when they find out that one of my passions in Film Scores (the other being Dog Shows, yes I am an interesting 21 year old). Those questions usually are:
What is your favorite movie?
What is your favorite score?
Who is your favorite composer?
Do you really prefer to listen to that than pop music?

Well I am going to try and answer those questions right now. It is a bit difficult for me because they aren't easily answered so here I go.

1. My favorite movie is simple, I don't have one, I have many. I usually break them down by genre, country of origin, or mood. So here I go with the classifications:
Action film: The Dark Knight
Drama: Casablanca
Family: Tie between 101 Dalmatians, The Fox and the Hound, and Ratatioulle
Comedy: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Thriller: Silence of the Lambs
Horror: Nosferatu
Sci-Fi: Metropolis
Fantasy: Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
Western: Blazing Saddles
Disney: Fox and the Hound

Germany: Mostly Martha
England: Love Actually
France: A Woman is a Woman
Mexico: Y Tu Mama Tambien
Spain: Pan's Labyrinth

Rainy Day Movie: Ever After
Depression: Mostly Martha
Guilty Pleasure: Eastern Promises
Feel Better that I had nothing to do with it: Timeline or Phantom of the Opera (Musical)
Eye Candy: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (some yummy Rickman in there)
Music Related: August Rush

2. Yet again the film score question always plagues me with confusion because a lot of people just can't understand why I don't have a favorite. I have many. Here they are:
Atonement (Dario Marianelli)
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Nicholas Hooper)
Raiders of the Lost Arc (John Williams)
Ever After (George Fenton)
The Lion King (Hans Zimmer)
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (Hans Zimmer)
The Dark Knight (Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard)
Peter Pan (James Newton Howard)
Hannibal (Hans Zimmer)
Hook (John Williams)

3. My favorite composer is usually a stock answer that is given because most people don't even look at the composer when they watch movies. I do, if I like the score I will stay until I know who wrote it. My favorite composer also tends to change with my own tastes as with what work they have done recently. I like composers with a ton of depth, which is really hard to find. I also like composers that don't have the "one hit wonder" thing. So in short I will not be claiming that I love John Williams, Jan A.P. Kaczmarek, or Howard Shore, because then embody the two previously mentioned things. So my favorite composers are: Dario Marianelli, Hans Zimmer, and James Newton Howard

4. Yes I do listen to film scores as my own little genre of music. Pop music just doesn't do it for me on so many levels. The main one is that when you break it down, each and every song is the same as the next. The chords never change, there isn't any depth or talent for that matter. Give me an artist that is really singing, with no modifications on a pop album and I will buy it, I swear. As a matter of fact, if people were to look through my iPod (some have, which has brought up this question) they would find more scores or pieces from scores than pop music. That is not to say that I don't have other genres that I listen to because I do, it is rather hard to find a film score station on the radio in the South, people look at you weird then say "There's music in movies, naw". The genres that I listen to on the radio and have eventually found their way onto my iPod are: country, classic rock, jazz, big band, swing, and a VERY limited selection of pop (mainly Maroon 5 and Clay Aiken).

I know that this is the start of my blog, I will be posting reviews of scores as often as I possibly can. I will be reviewing some of my favorites first then will move on to the Oscar bait ones.

So, I leave you for now, happy listening and viewing.
FilmScored